Deep blue Lapis Lazuli dates back to the pharaohs of ancient Egypt and has been highly valued for many thousands of years.

One of the most famous locality for fine quality lapis lazuli is the same ancient deposit high in the mountains of Afghanistan where it was originally mined at least 6000 years ago.

It was said to impart ancient knowledge, and the wisdom to use it and to enhance one's awareness, insight and intellect.

The name is a combination of the Latin word for stone lapis and the Arabian word azul, meaning blue

The value of this blue stone for the world of art was huge: in fact the ultramarine blue paint used by the Grand Old Masters was nothing else but pulverized Lapis lazuli - suitable for watercolors, tempera and oil paintings. Many portraits of the Virgin Mary would have been impossible to create without Lapis lazuli blue.